Domino, Fall Down
by xJadelynWestx
Summary: Craig and Darcy had the perfect relationship. But you don't line up dominos for them to look good. You line them up to watch them fall down.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Are we really gonna talk about this now?" Craig whined.

"Yes, this is actually important too, so I need you to listen," Darcy replied.

Craig opened his eyes as wide as he could and stared at Darcy. "You have my undivided attention," he said, grinning.

That was the one thing Darcy had always liked about Craig, his outgoing, goofy personality. It was his personality that had won her over from the minute they met. She remembered it all too well.

_"You know a musician's only as good as his critic, and I didn't see you clapping after my last set," Craig said._

_"Well, I liked it, don't get me wrong, it just needs more of something. I can't quite explain what," she replied. _

_"Hmm. Well Miss It Needs More Something, you wanna get a drink with me?" Craig said, melting her with his brown eyes and cocky smile. _

_"You sure I didn't insult your ego too much Mr Only As Good As His Critics?" _

_"Nah, it only hurts when I'm breathing," Craig said, taking her hand. _

Darcy hit him playfully, "Stop, I'm trying to be serious!" but she couldn't help but smile.

"Okay, what do you wanna talk about?" he asked, his face now serious.

"I want you to meet my parents," Darcy started slowly, knowing Craig would immediately protest.

"Darc," Craig said, "you know i love you. Honestly, you're my everything. But why do we have to complicate that by bringing your parents into this?"

"Because I already told them what a wonderful guy you are, and I'm sure they'd really like to meet the guy that's been occupying most of their daughter's waking hours. Why does it have to complicate things?"

"Because parents hate me, Darc. You're a parent's wet dream, you're smart, beautiful, funny, and caring. I'm not. Parents see right through me. My dad saw it, Joey sees it, and your parents will see it too. They'll hate me, Darc, and they'll make you hate me too."

"Craig, I could never hate you. And I'm not perfect, you know that as well as anyone. But you, you're special. I know it, and they'll know it too. Just give it a chance to work, please Craig?" Darcy pleaded

"You're not gonna give up until I agree are you?" Craig asked, pushing a fallen piece of hair back from her face.

Darcy shook her head. "Not a chance."

"In that case., I'll do it," Craig said, smiling, his brown eyes looking deep into hers.

"How did I get so lucky to get you?" Darcy asked, smiling back,

"Good karma?" Craig guessed, and pulled her in for a kiss.

"So you're sure you can make it back from the gig to have dinner tonight? I wouldn't want to make you rush home," Darcy spoke into her phone.

"Babe I'll be fine, and yes, I can make it, don't worry, I won't let you down," Craig replied.

"Can't wait to see you tonight," she said slowly. "You know you always look so much sexier after a gig. It completely uplifts your attitude."

"Hmm, maybe that's because I know I have a perfect girlfriend waiting for me when I get off stage," Craig said, knowing Darcy was blushing and smiling.

"Stop," Darcy said, smiling from ear to ear.

"Alright, well I have to go, the show's about to start, I'll call you when it's over, okay?" Craig said.

"Okay. I love you, Craig," Darcy said.

"Love you too, Darc." _Click_

_God, you idiot! _The voice in Craig's mind screamed at him, _You love this girl. You really, really love her. Why are you really gonna let her down all because of your problems with yourself? _

"Because, I have no choice. Either I hurt her now, or I fuck up royally and hurt her later. Whatever does the least damage, that's what I have to do," Craig told himself.

"Craig, where are you?" Darcy asked an empty street as she stared out her window, hoping Craig had just forgot to call and would show up on her doorstep any minute.

_Craig's never stood you up before,_ Darcy told herself, _Why would he start now? He wouldn't. Get a grip Darcy, he's probably just doing an extra set or is stuck in traffic or something, he'll be here. Any minute now, he'll be here._

The hours passed slowly as Craig sat in silence in his apartment. As he began to doze off, his cell phone began to ring. He picked it up to look at the caller ID, already knowing who it was. _Darcy, _he thought. _I'll just let it ring. Maybe she'll think I fell asleep. If she calls again, I'll answer it. _

Craig waited patiently, and the rings died down and his phone screen revealed 1 missed call. He put his phone back on the table just as it began to ring again, this time somehow sounding more urgent.

He picked it up reluctantly on the third ring. "Craig, where are you? I've been waiting for hours!" Darcy yelped, sounding incredibly upset.

_Can I really do this? With her on the phone, me able to hear her every emotion, any possible tear she might cry?_ Craig thought to himself. _I have to, this can't end on a good note, it's impossible. Craig the psychopath was never meant to be happy._

"I'm sorry, Darc, I thought about it, and I really don't wanna meet your parents." Craig said, his eyes closed, anticipating the fallout about to take place.

"What do you mean you don't want to meet them? Craig you said just yesterday that you did! I can't believe you'd let me down like this, just when I thought everything was starting to go well." she said, as Craig heard the tears in her voice.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about that too," he said, "I think we should break up."

"What? Why?!" Darcy said, and he knew that she was letting the tears fall.

"Darcy, I'm ruining your life, and I care more about that fact than I want to admit. I'm keeping you from your family, and your friends, and I don't wanna do that anymore," Craig said, feeling his own tears rising in the corners of his eyes.

"Craig Manning don't _**ever**_ call me again! EVER!" _Click._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Craig sat in his hotel room, rolling his bottle of bipolar meds between his thumb and pointer finger. _Why should I really take the pill? Darcy's not here to think I'm crazy, so why should it matter if I am?_, Craig thought to himself.

He got up and headed to the bathroom. As he stared at his reflection in the mirror, he began to lose himself and let his inner voice take over. _She _did _say don't ever call her again. What are you waiting for? You were staying sane for her. The toilets right there, flush 'em._ Craig looked down at the bottle in his hand, threw it across the room and fell to the floor. _Who are you kidding? You couldn't do it, you knew you couldn't. You need those pills, you're addicted. Addicted to the feeling of normalness they give you. You're dependent on something. Quite the hypocrite aren't you? Breaking up with Ash because you were dependent on her support, and you traded on habit for another. _

Craig tore himself off the floor and across the room. He snatched the bottle off the floor and opened it over the toilet. As he turned the bottle over, he focused intently on each pill that fell. They seemed to fall in slow motion. Each falling pill gave him a memory of better times, times when he had decided to stay sane for Darcy. As he flushed the toilet, he let his sanity fall with the pills.

He threw the bottle over his shoulder and headed to his bed. As images of Darcy swirled through his mind and began to regret any and everything he had ever done to hurt her. _I'd be lucky if she ever thought twice about me again. I screwed up. I let go of the one girl I ever truly loved because I was too stupid and couldn't be honest with her._

He sat up, grabbed his guitar from the side of the bed, and began to strum.

Meanwhile, Darcy sat outside, curled up on her balcony, arms around her knees, holding them to her chest. As a piece of her wavy brown hair fell from her ponytail, she tucked it behind her ear. As her fingers grazed the top of her ear, she found herself remembering Craig, and how he used to push the hair back from her face and behind her ear like that. _A face that beautiful shouldn't be hidden,_ he'd said. The memory of his voice echoed through her head like thunder in a field.

_Why did I tell him never to call me again?_ she wondered to herself. _What if he thinks I meant it and doesn't?_ She looked down at the phone in her lap, checking her calls list. _0 missed calls._ _Why hasn't he called yet? At least try to apologize? He couldn't really think I meant what I said, did he?_

_He_ did _break up with you,_ her inner voice reminded her. _Why would he worry about calling and apologizing after such a heartless breakup on his behalf._

_"I don't ask girls out, they usually do it for me. I use seductive techniques to ensure that it happens though." _Craig's voice echoed through her mind.

_"What do you do?"_

_"Well there's the sultry stare"_ _he demonstrated. "Then, there's the smile." The smile he flashed melted her. "Then if that still doesn't work, I beat around the bush til they ask."_

_"Craig, do you wanna go out with me," she had asked, giggling._

_"On one condition," he had said._

_"Being?"_

_"You have to promise you won't break my heart," he said, a sarcastic smile across his face as he leaned and kissed her. _

She eventually fell asleep in a ball on the balcony, thinking of Craig.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When Craig woke the next morning, he couldn't help but feel what was the beginning of a pounding headache. He looked to his left and saw his guitar lying on the other side of the bed. _Hmmm, must've fell asleep playing last night._

He pushed the covers aside and sat up, rubbing his eyes, hoping to erase the thoughts from his mind as well. Even after his ordeal last night, all he could think about was Darcy. Her eyes, her laugh, her smile, the way her arms felt around his waist. It slowly became all too much for him. Craig then grabbed a pillow and hurled it across the room, knocking over the metal ice bucket with a clang. He then set his head in his hands and let his tears fall as his memories haunted him.

After a few hours had passed and Craig had dozed off again, he woke up thirsty. He shuffled over to the hotel refridgerator in his room and opened it. Nothing. He stuck his hands in his jean pockets, feeling around for change. He found just enough for a drink, grabbed his room key, and started toward the vending area.

_Boom boom boom!_ Craig heard as he approached the drink machine. As he turned the corner, he saw a petite girl with dark hair kicking the machine repeatedly.

"Ya know, sometimes it works just to press the button," Craig said, smirking.

"You think if I hadn't tried I'd be sitting here fighting with an inanimate object?" she snapped.

"No, just a joke. Did it actually eat your money or it just won't give you your drink?" he asked.

"Isn't that the same difference?" she asked, as she stopped kicking the machine to look at him.

Her blue eyes pierced through him, and he almost forgot what he had been saying.

"Umm... umm, actually, no it's not. You see, if it ate your money, it won't even acknowledge that you put money in there. If it just won't give you your drink, then it's just being difficult, and there's a chance that something inside the machine isn't working."

She just stared at him blankly.

"Uh, sorry, my name is Craig."

"Uh huh," she replied and went back to pushing buttons and alternating punching and kicking the machine.

"Here, let me try and see what it does when I try," Craig said, and inched his way between her and the machine.

"You really think if it didn't work for me it'll work for you?" the girl asked.

"Maybe," Craig replied. He put his money in and pressed the button for a Coke. The machine began humming like it might release a drink, then stopped.

He looked over his shoulder at the girl, who was now leaning against the wall, smirking. "Told ya so?" she said.

"Proceed," Craig said, motioning towards the machine.

"No, I have a better idea. C'mon, Greg," she said.

"Actually, it's Craig," he said, following behind her.

"Right. Same difference," she replied.

They walked down the hall, boarded the elevator and rode it down to the lobby, and the girl began walking right out the main entrance.

"Wait!" Craig called, her a significant amount ahead of him.

"What?" she asked, still walking.

"I don't normally do this," he said.

"Annoy strangers?"

"Follow strangers. Especially strangers whose names I don't know?"

"Dana. My name's Dana, yours is Craig, now we're not strangers. Now c'mon before I leave you dodging cars in the highway."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Darcy woke up to her phone ringing with her text message tone beside her head. She jumped awake, startled by the sunlight. "Ouch." she said, rubbing her neck. She grabbed her phone, anxious to check the message. When she opened the phone, the screen displayed "1 New Message. From: Manny. View Now. View Later." Darcy clicked "View Later" and shut her phone. As she picked herself up off of the floor of the balcony, she felt the soreness from the night spent on the concrete set in.

She picked up her phone and started towards her bathroom. She looked in the mirror, not recognizing who she saw staring back at her. She had bags under her eyes, and they were swollen and puffy from crying. Her makeup was smeared under her eyes, and her lips were chapped. _Was this all here yesterday? It couldn't have been. I'm obviously running myself ragged over some guy._ She pushed the hair back from her face. _A guy that I loved. That I still love. But I can't do anything about it now._

Her text tone sounded again, and she decided she better answer it. Another message from Manny. She read the first message first. "Where have you been all day? Practice starts in an hour. Ms H said you miss one more day and you're out." _They can't kick me out, I'm captain. Well, maybe they can, but they shouldn't._ She opened the other message. "Hello? Earth to Darcy?" Darcy closed her phone. _I can't go to practice, especially not like this._ She pulled the sleeve of her shirt down around her hand and began to wipe the smeared makeup from under her eyes.

The next day, Darcy walked into school to find Manny waiting for her.

"Where were you yesterday?" Manny asked

"I had some things to do, I got tied up," she replied.

At that moment, Ms H passed. "Darcy, I need to see you in my office?"

"Fine, I'll go by between last period and practice today."

"Darcy, this can't wait, I'll give you a pass for you first class."

Manny looked thoughtfully at Darcy as Darcy shrugged and followed Ms H.

"You can sit here," Ms H said, motioning to the seat directly across from hers.

Darcy sat where directed. "Do you mind me asking what this is about?" she said.

"Well, Darcy, as spirit squad captain, I'm sure you know that their is an alotted amount of absences that a member must remain under to remain on the squad," she started. "As I see on your absentee record, yesterday, you went over your limit of days." Ms H looked up at Darcy.

"Ms H, you have to understand, I have a very good reason for not showing up yesterday."

"That reason being?"

Darcy thought for a minute to come up with a relevant reason other than "my boyfriend dumped me". "My little sister had a stomach flu yesterday, and seeing as how both of my parents work, I was the only one who could stay home to take care of her." _Not like Ms H would ever know, Clare was only in junior high._

"You should have called the front office, Darcy, I could have had the absence excused."

"I know, but she was so sick, the thought just slipped my mind."

"I'll let it go this time, but next time, I will be forced to remove you from the squad."

"Thank you Ms H, I won't let you down!" Darcy started to walk out of the office.

"Oh, and Darcy?" Ms H called after her.

"Yes?"

"You have makeup on your sleeve." Darcy looked down, and sure enough, she had slid on the hoodie with the makeup smears from the day before on it. _Great. Absolutely great,_ she thought to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"So, Craig, how long will you be staying here?" Dana asked Craig over their complimentary hotel breakfast that morning.

"A while, actually, I had been in Vancouver for the longest time, but I came back to..." Craig trailed off.

"To...?"

"To see this girl I had been dating. Nothing serious, just hanging out, but she wanted more, and me and my band were on our way back to Toronto anyways, so I figured why not." _Why do I always start every relationship off with lies._

"So you're from Toronto, but you live in a hotel in Toronto? What gives?" she asked.

"Well, you see I lived with my stepdad, then I got a record deal to record for this big deal label. I've been touring Canada and the Northern US for a few months. Joey didn't like the touring, thought I should've went to college instead, so I've been living from hotel to hotel around here, paying room fees off of gig money."

"Wow. And you're how old, Craig?"

"19 in September."

"Okay, 19 in September. You can't let Joey make your decisions for you anymore. He can't live your life for you, you're a legal adult, have been for nearly a year now. You should do what you want, not what everybody else expects you to do."

"Thanks, Dana. That's really... insightful? Wise?" Craig smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, don't get used to it," she replied, smirking back at him.

"So, are you from Toronto?" Craig asked her.

"Actually no, I graduated school last year, and have been traveling throughout Canada ever since. It's always been my dream to travel after school, but when you have no real job talent and no money, it's kind of hard to go international, so I've been keeping it national."

"So what's your family like?" he asked cautiously.

"Well, I don't know my father, really. He left when I was three under some serious accusations made by my mom. My mom... well let's just say she's no saint and leave it at that. What about you?"

"Well, my father passed away about 3 years ago, and I live with my stepdad, the man my mother left my dad for. They had a daughter before Mom died, her and Joey. Angie. She's the closest thing I have to a real family," Craig replied.

"So let me get this straight," Dana started. "We both have no father, might as well both not have moms. We're both confused, looking for something to set us straight..."

"Sounds about right."

"Well, Craig..." Dana paused, realizing she didn't know his last name.

"Manning."

"Well, Craig Manning, I'm really glad to have met you. I think you witnessing my psycho attack on the drink machine was meant to be."

"Maybe it was," Craig said, smiling at her from across the table.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_When I say jump, you say how high?I ain't never seen somebody-ody get so high _Nelly Furtado's voice echoed from the booombox in the gym.

"C'mon Darc, pick up the pace," Manny said, standing behind her to spot her from the bottom of the pyramid.

_Like a bird, like a plane, this party-arty insane_

Darcy was lifted in the air, only half her concentration focused on her balance. The other half was of course focused on her pathetic obsession with Craig. What he was doing, why he hadn't called, why he didn't want her anymore. These were all questions running through her mind when she needed to be concentrating on the fact that she was at least 7 ft above ground, her safety in the hands on 3 small girls.

Surprisingly enough though, it was the last thing on her mind, and she didn't feel herself begin to lean.

"Darc! Darcy!" was the last thing she heard Manny say before she hit the ground.

"Darcy! Oh my God, are you okay?" Manny shrieked.

Darcy laid there for a minute before deciding to attempt to lift herself off the ground. That's when she felt it. As she began to lift herself up, a sharp, excruciating pain shot through her leg. She screamed out, clutching her ankle as she fell back onto the floor.

"Go get the nurse!" Manny ordered at Holly J. "Mia, help me get her to the bleachers." Mia nodded, sliding one arm around Darcy's back, letting Manny do the same on the other side. After her putting her arms around their necks, they carefully lifted Darcy from the floor, careful not to put weight on her ankle.

As Holly J rushed in with the nurse on her heels, wheelchair in tow, Darcy made the mistake of trying to limp instead of letting Mia and Manny support her weight. She cried out in pain, the ankle giving out on her, almost causing Manny and Mia to drop her.

The nurse quickly helped them usher her into the wheelchair, and Manny walked with them to the nurse's office.

Darcy sat, silent tears rolling down her face, on the nurse's cot, Manny in the chair beside her, holding ice to Darcy's ankle. "To keep the swelling down," the nurse had said.

As she nurse came back in the room, she asked Manny to remove the ice. "Can you move your ankle at all, dear? Perhaps try rolling it or moving your foot up and down using your ankle?"

Darcy tried to roll her ankle, and found herself grabbing for Manny's hand as the pain shot up her leg.

"Well that answers that," the nurse said, a sad smile across her face.

She touched Darcy's ankle tenderly, feeling the structure of her bones. "Oh dear," she said, a concerned look crossing her face.

"What?" Darcy and Manny asked together.

"She'll have to be brought to the hospital for x rays, I believe a few bones in the ankle are broken."

As Darcy's eyes filled with tears, Manny spoke up, "I can bring her, I just need a pass to leave school."

The nurse wrote her a pass, then sent them, wheelchair included to Manny's car.

Manny and Darcy sat silently in the doctor's office at the hospital, waiting for Darcy's x rays to come back. Just then, the door swung open after a quick knock, and a tall, aging man with blue eyes and dark, graying hair walked in.

"Hi, my name is Dr. Cooper, I evaluated your x rays today," he said, shaking the two girls hands.

"Darcy?" he said, looking questionable between the two.

Darcy raised her hand slightly "That's me."

"Ok, Darcy, seems you have several hairline fractures in your tibia and fibula, as well as a torn ligament in the top of your foot to your ankle. I'm gonna put a cast on you, this cast is to be worn for 8 weeks, don't get it wet, blah blah blah, you girls are 17? 18? You know the drift."

"So am I gonna be able to walk on my ankle anytime soon?" Darcy asked.

"Not without crutches you're not. In fact with the extent of your injuries, I recommend you keep it wrapped in an ace bandage and continue to use crutches even after the cast has been removed."

Darcy put her hands and began to cry. _Spirit Squad this year is ruined. All because of me._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Craig looked at his watch. _8:52 p.m._ "Wow," he thought out loud, "I can't believe we spent the whole day together."

"Why not? It's not like you had anything better to do," Dana replied, nudging him. "How about you spend the night with me too, Manning?"

"I don't know..." Craig started.

"C'mon, what, do you think I'm gonna rape you in your sleep? Get your shit and c'mon!" she smiled up at him. He looked down at her, trying to focus on his decision.

After a few more seconds, Dana said, "That's what I thought. Go get your stuff, I'll put the security lock on before I close the door to hold it open for you." She then turned and began opening her hotel room door. After a second she still felt his presence behind her. "Go!" she laughed.

Craig turned down the hall to his room, and quickly went inside, grabbing his guitar, and a change of clothes. He turned to leave but then thought of something. He turned back into the room and went quickly to the drawer in his bedside table and pulled out 3 condoms.

"Better safe than sorry," he told himself, and headed for Dana's room.

When he returned, he didn't see her anywhere in her room. "Dana?" he called.

"In here!" she called from the bathroom. "Make yourself comfortable, I'll be out in a sec."

Craig walked through to where her bed was, placing his guitar in the corner of the room with his spare clothes beside it. He sat down on her bed and began to fidget.

After about 5 minutes, Dana emerged from the bathroom wearing a black camisole and rainbow striped boyshorts. Craig could only stare. She walked into the bedroom like there was nothing special about how she was dressed.

"What?" she asked with a smirk when she noticed him staring.

"Nothing, nothing," he replied, quickly looking away.

She walked over to stand in front of him. "No, really, what?" she smiled down at him, edging closer by the second.

"It's just..." he started, noticing her getting closer.

"Yeah?"

"You look really cute," he spit out, stumbling over his words.

"Cute? Are you sure that's what you meant is cute?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Umm, well..." he stuttered. "Cute... pretty... hot," he said, searching for word to describe the girl who was rapidly quickening his heartbeat.

"Sexy?" she asked, whispering it in his ear. She leaned in then and kissed him. She gradually pushed him back onto the bed, climbing on top of him. As the kiss deepened, Craig became distracted. His thoughts traveled to memories of him and Darcy in similar instances. Still not completely out his daydreamy haze, Craig pushed her away softly.

"Dar-Dana, I don't think we should do this."

She stopped, pulling back to look at him. "This is about that girl, right? The one that you came back to Toronto for?" Craig didn't reply. Dana rolled off of him and sat beside him while he remained on his back on the bed. "So what's her name?" Dana asked.

"Darcy," Craig said hesistantly. "But, I'm too late, it's over now."

"Why?"

"I have Bipolar Disorder 2. I'm manic depressive," he started.

"And she can't accept that?" she asked.

"She doesn't know," he said. "But, with her, I took my medication and lived normally, and I was happy. Before her, I hadn't been happy in a very, very long time. I used to be a bad guy, Dana. A really bad guy. But, she saw through it and believed I could be better."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Well, she wanted me to meet her parents..."

"So?"

"I freaked out, just knowing that they'd see through my happy act, hate me, and not let her see me anymore. I felt like I was ruining her life by lying to her, so I ended it."

"And now you want her back?" she asked cautiously.

Craig nodded. After a short silence, he stated simply, "I wrote her a song."

"Can I hear it?" Dana asked.

Craig nodded again. "Hand me my guitar," he asked. She reached over the side of the bed, handing it to him, and he sat up.

As he held the guitar in his hands, the feelings became natural, and he began to strum.

_I was switched off like a light, a fighter with no fight_

_Staring up at the stars, giving into the dark_

_Burnt out like a match, at the moment of the crash_

_The moon blowed like a scar, how did things go so far_

_Somehow you saw someone worth savin', you pulled me back into the light_

_Now if ever I can rescue you, when you need to, I'm still fallin' too_

_You know exactly where I'll be, just look for me, oh look for me_

_When it seems like you have lost it all, and you feel like you're in free fall_

_Going deep into the moon, I will rescue you. _

As he strummed the final chord, he saw Dana look up at him. "Play it for her. Fight for her. Get her back."

Craig jumped up, grabbing his stuff, hugged Dana, and took off out the room.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Can I ask you something?" Manny questioned Darcy as she walked slowly beside her back to Manny's car after Darcy had had the cast put on her leg.

Darcy looked at Manny questioningly. "Okay?..."

"What were you thinking about? You know when you up there, before you fell?" Manny asked cautiously.

Darcy sighed, thinking to herself how stupid she had been to let Craig cloud her thoughts to the point where she fell and hurt herself. "Umm... I was thinking about Craig."

Manny laughed softly, thinking she had been just daydreaming of Craig. "Okay, hun, Craig's cute, but why get hurt over him?"

"I already did," Darcy mumbled.

Manny eyed Darcy curiously, hearing her mumble. "Darcy, did something happen?"

Darcy sighed more heavily, blinking back tears as she slid into the passenger seat of Manny's car, handing Manny her crutches to put in the back seat. "Umm... We broke up... I asked him to meet my parents and he bailed, then I called him later and he dumped me. Like we were moving too fast or something."

Manny nodded, walking around the car and getting into the drivers seat, turning to Darcy once she closed the door behind herself. "I really don't wanna sound like I'm defending Craig, because believe me honey, I ain't the one, but maybe he was just scared. I mean, a guy like Craig, plus _your_ parents? It'd be a little intimidating."

Darcy nodded softly, seeing Manny's point. "I know, but he could've at least tried. For me, ya know? Guess now I won't ever know what could've happened. He dumped me and I haven't talked to him since then."

Manny sighed. _Typical Craig_, she thought, _the guy's never gonna change_.

"I'm sure he'll call you soon, begging for your forgiveness, telling you how stupid he was. Maybe, just maybe, he wrote you a song." Manny raised her eyebrows at Darcy, trying to lighten her mood.

Darcy sighed and shook her head. "He's not gonna call, Manny. He's not gonna call, and he didn't write me a song. It's over, he doesn't want me."

Darcy stared out the window, finally letting one of the tears she had been holding back fall.

Craig raced through the crowd of kids leaving their club meetings and such as he ran up the front steps of Degrassi and into the hall. Seeing a girl in a Spirit Squad uniform, he stopped in front of her, deciding to ask where to go.

"Hey, you're on Spirit Squad with Darcy Edwards, right?" he asked.

The strawberry blonde smirked, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder. "Umm, doesn't it _look_ like I'm on the Spirit Squad with Saint Darcy?" She gestured to her uniform.

"Right, right, dumb question. Do you know where I can find her?" he asked quickly.

"She had to leave practice. She fell off the top of the pyramid and got hurt. Something with her ankle. Couldn't even stand up on her own," she explained, continuing to smirk.

"Oh my God, is she okay?" Craig asked, his eyes wide.

The girl shrugged. "I dunno, Santos drove her to the doctor to get it looked at. I don't know if they were planning on coming back today or not, I haven't heard anything from them yet."

Craig nodded quickly, turning to leave, knowing he'd find the girls at Darcy's house. "Okay, thanks..." he paused, realizing he didn't know the girl's name.

"Holly J."

He nodded again, calling over his shoulder as he rushed back through the front doors. "Right, thanks Holly J!"

Holly J nodded, sighing to herself, feigning guilt as she tilted her head lightly to the side. "Hmm... Hope Edwards wants to see him..." She shrugged and turned back towards the gym, going to get her stuff to go home.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Darcy sat back against the headboard of her bed, staring at the wall adjacent to her. She sighed as she glanced down and her cast caught her eye. She leaned down and flicked it lightly. "Stupid thing. Keeping me in this stupid room away from stupid spirit squad."

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity, you know," her sister Clare said as she passed by Darcy's open doorway.

"Please remind me why I don't throw you down the stairs on a daily basis?" Darcy replied.

"Because you shouldn't shoot the messenger. Especially when she has a message I'm sure you'd love to hear at the moment."

Darcy eyed Clare skeptically, "Come here, shut the door, and explain. Now."

Clare rolled her eyes, walking into Darcy's room and shutting the door behind her. "Craig's outside," she said, sitting on Darcy's bed.

Darcy looked at her like she was speaking a foreign language, "You said what now?"

"Craig. Is. Out. Side." Clare responded, enunciating every syllable.

"Why?"

"I dunno, he's just been sitting out in the driveway in his car for almost half an hour."

"And you're just now telling me this why?" Darcy shrieked.

Clare just shrugged, standing up and walking out of Darcy's room. Darcy reached over to her nightstand, grabbing her phone off of it and texting Craig.

_You have exactly one minute to explain why you're sitting in my driveway and have been for nearly half an hour. Your time starts now. _

Craig picked up his phone from out of his lap, seeing and feeling it buzz. Reading Darcy's message, he replied.

_Can my minute of explaining begin once I get inside?_

"Clare! Door!" Darcy yelled down the hallway.

Craig walked into Darcy's room slowly, closing the door behind him.

"You okay?" he asked, gesturing to her cast.

Darcy shook her head, "We're not talking about my leg right now. We're talking about why you were just sitting outside my house for no apparent reason."

Craig sighed, pulling his guitar from behind his back. "Umm..." he said, scuffing the tip of his boot against her carpet. "So, I was an idiot. I shouldn't have lied, and I shouldn't have bailed on you. I was afraid that if I met your parents and they didn't approve of me, then you'd just give up on me."

Darcy nodded, not speaking yet, just eyeing him expectantly.

"So, I'm sorry. I wanted to ask you for another chance. I didn't know how to say it, so I wrote you a song."

Darcy nodded again, "I'm listening."

Craig nodded, going to sit in her computer chair, starting to play the song. When he was finished, he looked up to see a wide smile on Darcy's face.

"You wrote that for me?" she asked quietly.

Craig nodded, propping his guitar against her desk and going to sit on her bed beside her. "Yup. And I meant every word."

Darcy leaned forward, pressing her lips to Craig's, kissing him softly and slowly. Craig smiled as he pulled back, "So does this mean I'm taken again? 'Cause Holly J was totally giving me 'the eye'" he said teasingly, waggling his eyebrows at Darcy.

"UGH!" She said, hitting him playfully with her pillow.

Craig sighed, putting on a serious face. "So, umm, I have something else I have to tell you..."

Darcy eyed him curiously. "What?"

"I have... Bipolar Disorder 2. I'm manic depressive. It's controlled by medication. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to treat me differently. Once people find out, that's all they see me as, and I didn't want to lose your opinion of me. Even though I ended up doing it anyways."

Darcy nodded slowly, letting everything sink in. "Craig, you have a medical problem. You can't control that. I wouldn't think of you differently unless you treated me differently. And apparently I care about you no matter what, because you're here right now, aren't you?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

Craig nodded, a small smile spreading across his lips. "Yeah, I guess so."

Darcy smiled back at him, "So any problems you have are our problems now, okay? Whatever the issue, we get through it together."

Craig let his smile shine from ear to ear. "Right, together," he replied, leaning in and pressing his lips to Darcy's.


End file.
